North Carolina is a true swing state and Democrats hoped Hagan could pull through, especially since Tillis had just come off of an unpopular legislative session. However, while both candidates were viewed unfavorably by the voters, Hagan was unable to overcome the association with an extremely unpopular President, and Tillis squeaked out a win.

Tillis has served in the state legislature since 2006, serving as Speaker since 2011 and previously worked at PriceWaterhouseCoopers.